One embodiment of a printer driver according to the present invention includes a document data obtaining means for obtaining document data indicated by a received print instruction, a conversion means for converting the obtained document data into print data written in page description language, a transmission-use data generation means for obtaining application information indicating an application program that issued the print instruction and inserting the application information into the print data and a transmission means for transmitting the print data into which the application information was inserted to a printer device.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A printer driver that generates print data and transmits the generated print data to a printer device, the printer driver comprising: a document data obtaining means for obtaining document data indicated by a received print instruction; a conversion means for converting the obtained document data into print data written in page description language; a transmission-use data generation means for obtaining application information indicating an application program that issued the print instruction and inserting the application information into the print data; and a transmission means for transmitting the print data into which the application information was inserted to a printer device.
2. A printer driver that generates print data and transmits the generated print data to a printer device, the printer driver comprising: a document data obtaining means for obtaining document data indicated by a received print instruction; a conversion means for converting the obtained document data into print data written in XML paper specification format; a transmission-use data generation means for obtaining application information indicating an application program that issued the print instruction and inserting the application information into the print data; and a transmission means for transmitting the print data into which the application information was inserted to a printer device.
3. The printer driver according to claim 1 , wherein the application information includes an executable file name of the application program.
4. The printer driver according to claim 1 , wherein the application information includes version information of the application program.
5. The printer driver according to claim 1 , wherein the print data indicates a single printing page in which a plurality of pages have been reduced and arranged.
6. The printer driver according to claim 1 , wherein the print data indicates a printing page that has been enlarged/reduced in accordance with the size of recording paper.
7. A computer-readable printer driver program non-transitory recording medium having recorded thereon a printer driver program that causes a computer to generate print data and perform processing for transmitting the generated print data to a printer device, the printer driver program comprising: an obtaining step of causing a computer to perform processing for obtaining document data indicated by a received print instruction; a conversion step of causing the computer to perform processing for converting the obtained document data into print data; a transmission-use data generation step of causing the computer to perform processing for obtaining application information indicating an application program that issued the print instruction and inserting the application information into the print data; and a transmission step of causing the computer to perform processing for transmitting the print data into which the application information was inserted to a printer device.
8. A print data importing device used when importing, into a computer, print data that has been transmitted to a printer device by the printer driver according to claim 1 and stored in the printer device, the print data importing device comprising: a print data obtaining means for obtaining the print data; a print data analyzing means for extracting application information from the obtained print data; and an application launch means for launching an application program indicated by the extracted application information and that is stored in the computer.
9. The print data importing device according to claim 8 comprising: a first version information obtaining means for obtaining version information of the application program from the extracted application information; and a second version information obtaining means for obtaining version information of the application program stored in the computer, wherein the application launch means launches an application program capable of handling the print data that is different from the application program indicated by the extracted application information in the case where the version information obtained by the first version information obtaining means is newer than the version information obtained by the second version information obtaining means.
10. The print data importing device according to claim 9 , wherein the application program capable of handling the print data that is different from the application program indicated by the extracted application information is a viewer application program for displaying print data.
11. A computer-readable print data importing program non-transitory recording medium having recorded thereon a print data importing program that is launched when importing, into a computer, print data that has been transmitted to a printer device by the printer driver according to claim 1 and stored in the printer device, the print data importing program comprising: a print data obtaining step of causing a computer to perform processing for obtaining the print data; a print data analyzing step of causing the computer to perform processing for extracting application information from the obtained print data; and an application launch step of causing the computer to perform processing for launching the application program indicated by the extracted application information and that is stored in the computer.
12. The print data importing program non-transitory recording medium according to claim 11 , the print data importing program comprising: a first version information obtaining step of causing the computer to perform processing for obtaining version information of the application program from the extracted application information; and a second version information obtaining step of causing the computer to perform processing for obtaining version information of the application program stored in the computer, wherein in the application launch step, the computer is caused to perform processing for launching an application program capable of handling the print data that is different from the application program indicated by the extracted application information in the case where the version information obtained in the first version information obtaining step is newer than the version information obtained in the second version information obtaining step.
13. A computer-readable installer non-transitory recording medium having recorded thereon an installer for causing a computer to perform processing for installing a print data importing program recorded on the print data importing program recording medium according to claim 11 or 12 onto a computer, the installer comprising: an installing step of causing a computer to perform processing for installing the print data importing program onto the computer; and a setting information change step of causing the computer to perform processing for changing setting information of an operating system on the computer so as to associate the print data importing program with a print data file name extension.
14. A computer comprising: a printer driver that generates print data and transmits the generated print data to a printer device; and a print data importing unit used when importing the print data that has been stored in the printer device, wherein the printer driver comprises: a document data obtaining means for obtaining document data indicated by a received print instruction; a conversion means for converting the obtained document data into print data written in page description language; a transmission-use data generation means for obtaining application information indicating an application program that issued the print instruction and inserting the application information into the print data; and a transmission means for transmitting the print data into which the application information was inserted to the printer device, and the print data importing unit comprises: a print data obtaining means for obtaining the print data; a print data analyzing means for extracting the application information from the obtained print data; and an application launch means for launching the application program indicated by the extracted application information and that is stored in the computer.
15. The computer according to claim 14 , wherein the application information includes an executable file name of the application program.
16. The computer according to claim 14 , wherein the application information includes version information of the application program.
17. The computer according to claim 14 , wherein the print data indicates a single printing page in which a plurality of pages have been reduced and arranged.
18. The computer according to claim 14 , wherein the print data indicates a printing page that has been enlarged/reduced in accordance with the size of recording paper.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
April 15, 2009
December 25, 2012
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